How many times have you read these kind of headlines?
Clearly I’ve crafted this bit of clickbait to fit our audience.
But do you know why the web is full of “fake news” and clickbait articles?
Clickbait works.
And why does it work?
Because we click them.
Just like we share blog posts on websites that don’t actually create content, it’s easy to do. We’re all guilty. There’s not such thing as a “secret click.”
So with further reflection of my own disdain for clickbait, I realize that no matter how curious the headline or thumbnail image is, the only way to make the web a better place is to stop clicking on this nonsense.
Jared M says
YES! I almost never click on clickbaity titles as a form of protest.
Eric Dye says
Good job!
(Glad you clicked this one though.)
Blessing Mpofu says
Clickbait; the scourge of the Internet. Still a mystery why people feel compelled to click.
Wait, what if we created a browser plugin that works like a panic button. You click it when you feel tempted to click clickbait and it takes you to legit content.
Eric Dye says
AND takes away the pageview?
Now you’re on to something… ;P
Kenneth J Rosentrater says
Ya got me.
Eric Dye says
;P